A few critical tips can help you survive if a flash flood ever strikes while you’re driving a car, the "Today" show reported.
Jim Douglas, an instructor with Raven Rescue, told the “Today” show’s national investigative correspondent Jeff Rossen that "not even a foot" of water is enough to make a car float. SUVs and 4x4s are not immune to danger. "Those big tires will make a truck float even easier," Douglas said. "They are like big buoys. They'll float even faster."
Last year, on a special training course in Whistler, British Columbia, the Rossen Reports team staged a dramatic demonstration of just how quickly a pickup truck can be swept away in a flash flood — and how to survive such a situation.
Critical tips:
- Roll the window down the second the water rises: It is your only way out.
- Get on the roof of the vehicle.
- Stay low and hang on. Stay stable: A car can flip in 6 feet of water. "At least being on the roof you've got a fighting chance," Douglas said. "If you are inside and that car flips over, you've got no chance."